AP Human Geography Commonly Missed Vocab

Building material rural settlement

Houses and buildings that are built from materials that are ample in that area

Agricultural origins

Nomadic people noticed that plants grew in a cycle and began to domesticate them; vegetative planting probably originated in Southeast Asia and seed agriculture in West India, China, and Ethiopia

Geomancy (Feng shui)

The Chinese art and science of the placement and orientation of tombs, dwellings, buildings, and cities in a way that is to agree with the spiritual forces and bring happiness

Taoism/Daoism

The Chinese philosophy based on the teachings of Lao-Tzu supporting humanitarian and religious loyalty

Secularism

The idea or view that wellbeing of a man should dominate over religious considerations in civil or public affairs

Debt-for-nature-swap

A deal often made with third world countries that says their debt will be diminished or cancelled if they set apart some of their land or natural resources

Time-space prime

A diagram of the volume of space and the length of time within our activity constrains and means of mobility at our command

Step migration

A eventual long distance migration taken in stages or steps Ex. Farm -> village -> small town -> city

Sikhism

A monotheistic religion that is founded by Guru Nanak, which combines elements of Hinduism and Islam, and believes in a single, formless good who can be reached by meditation

Exclave

A part of the country that is separate from the rest of the country and is surrounded by foreign territory

Dispersed rural settlement

A pattern of rural settlements that is characterized by isolated farms rather than clustered villages

Nucleated rural settlement

A pattern of villages that is clustered

Cohort

A population group that is distinguished by certain characteristics

Suitcase factory

A practice of living in urban environments with the benefits of waged incomes and driving great distances to care for their crops and/or livestock

Shintoism

A religion located in Japan that is related to Buddhism, which focuses on nature and ancestral worship

Jainism

A religion that branches of off Hinduism and was founded by Mahaviria; its belief is that everything has a soul and its purpose is to cleanse that soul

Plural society

A society that combines ethnic contrasts

Zoroastrianism

An ancient Persian religion that is monotheistic, founded by Zoroaster around the 6th century B.C., where you worship a god named Ahura Mazda who needs good deeds to win against the evil spirit Ahrimana

Enclave

An enclosed territory that is culturally distinct from the foreign territory that surrounds it

Barrio

An urban area of a Spanish speaking country

Periodic movement

Anything that involves temporary, recurrent relocation

Diffusion of fertility

Control population has declined in developing countries through education programs, family planning, and AIDs prevention

Place utility

In human movement and migration studies, a measure of individuals perceived satisfaction or approval of a place in its social, economic, or environmental attributes

Fundamentalism

Literal interpretations and strict adherence to the basic principals of religion (branch, demonization, or sect)

Village from rural settlement

Many families living close to each other, with fields surrounding the houses and buildings

Proselytic religion

Referred to as a Universalizing religion

Ethnocentrism

The belief that ones ethnicity is superior above other

Interfaith boundaries

The boundaries between the world's major faiths, such as Christianity, Muslim, and Buddhism

Environmental modification

The destruction of the environment for the purpose of farming; there are three types: pesticides (a substance that is intended to prevent, repel, or destroy a pest), soil erosion (washing away all of the soil by the flow of water or wind), and desertification (the gradual transformation of habitable land into desert)

Specialization

The development of skills to a specific kind of work

Social distance

The distance between different groups in society as opposed to locational distance; based on differences such as social class, ethnicity, race, and sexuality; the groups do not mix

Natality

The number of births per year to every 1,000 people in the population

"Tragedy of the commons"

The social trap that involves a conflict over resources between interested and the common good

Demographic momentum

The tendency for a growing population to continue growing after a fertility decline because of their (young) age distribution; moves countries into different stages of demographic transition

Biorevolution

The use and Revolution of biotechnology in our societies

Transmigration

To cause to go from one place to another

Biotechnology

Using organisms in ways to produce commercial products